CLEVELAND – Every time the Orioles knocked on the door in Cleveland tonight, the Guardians answered. It resulted in the Guards taking Game 2 of this four-game series by a final score of 6-3.

"First half of the game didn’t go so well for us tonight and I thought we hung in there and the at-bats were good and we put up a couple runs as the game went on," interim manager Tony Mansolino said after the game. "Just, we have not gotten our bullpen kind of going to the same extent we probably had it going when we were playing our best ball a few weeks ago."

The O’s put up runs in innings five, six and seven. The Guardians did the same, plus some runs early with Baltimore starter Brandon Young on the mound. 

There’s not a big enough major league sample size to be confident in what kind of Young outing you’ll get. 

Thus far, his big league outings could be classified as solid, ones that aren't spectacular but keep you in most ballgames. In all but one start, his last, Young allowed four runs or fewer. A typical line could feature four innings of work and three earned runs.

Two starts ago against the Mets, the right-hander had the best start of his big league career: 5 ⅓ innings and two earned runs on five hits, six strikeouts and no walks. But last time out, Young surrendered seven earned runs in just over four innings of work. 

How would he fare tonight against a scrappy Guardians lineup? 

“It was a little more reminiscent of the outing against the Mets," Mansolino said. "I thought he threw the ball pretty good right there."

In the bottom of the first, José Ramírez kept last night’s home run parade going with a solo shot on a first-pitch fastball. Ramírez’s 21st longball of the season found the right field seats and put Cleveland up 1-0 early. 

Surrendering homers to future Hall of Famers isn’t exactly an indicator of how the night will go. 

The young right-hander settled down from there, finding outs until the last moments of the third inning. With two away in the bottom of the frame, though, Cleveland singled, walked and singled to push another run across. 

Young avoided more damage, but Cleveland held a 2-0 lead going into the fourth. An inning that the O’s offense entered without having recorded a hit. 

The Birds’ bats were patient against lefty starter Joey Cantillo, though, drawing three walks through the first three frames. But the hit column still featured a round number. 

That was until the fifth inning. 

The Orioles started the bottom of the frame with three-straight baserunners. Ramón Urías singled, as did Colton Cowser, and Coby Mayo drew his second walk of the young game. Just like that, an O’s offense that had been quiet to start the game had a chance to put runs on the board with the bases loaded and nobody away. 

"Just looking for a pitch to hit and got into some deep counts and just tried to fight and was able to lay off some close pitches and just had a good result tonight," Mayo said postgame. 

“Squandered” would be a strong word to describe the scoring chance, but after a Jacob Stallings double play and a Jackson Holliday fly out, the O’s would’ve liked to come away with more than one run. Still, it cut the Guardians’ lead in half in a contest that they were firmly in. 

In the bottom of the frame, though, Cleveland extended its lead. 

Young surrendered a walk and a double, and his night was done after 4 ⅓. The right-hander tossed 73 pitches and allowed two runs while on the mound. A third came across on a sacrifice fly from Kyle Manzardo with Andrew Kittredge on the bump with the bases loaded, but the veteran danced out of more trouble. 

"Pretty, pretty frustrating and disappointing," Young said of his outing. "I mean, not where I saw myself getting called up here. … Obviously, the stats, but just trying to give my team a chance to win every time I go out." 

Entering the sixth, the Guardians held a 3-1 lead. The Birds certainly did still have a chance to win. 

Ramón Laureano wouldn’t let the O’s go down without a fight, just as he’s done all season long. His 13th home run of the season was of the solo variety in the top of the sixth, and it cut Cleveland’s lead back down to one. 

But as they did last night, the Guardians came storming right back. 

The home team put up two more runs in the bottom half, and nearly had more, but Manzardo struck out with the bases loaded to end the scoring threat. Still, Cleveland responded to Baltimore’s offense once again and led 5-2. 

The Guardians had an answer for Baltimore’s offensive response. The O’s put runs on the board in three-consecutive innings, but the Guards had a response every time. Cleveland scored in the bottom half of each of those frames, and Baltimore just couldn't find any momentum. 

Another run-scoring inning late in the game included the third walk of the night for Mayo. He ended the night 1-1 with a bloop single and those three free passes. 

"Just proud of him," Mansolino said. "It was a good night, made the plays at first base. That was super positive. Definitely a small step in the right direction, no doubt for Cob, but I feel like he’s been taking a lot of small steps in the right direction. Optimistic about him. At some point his time will come, and he’ll get an opportunity.”

The O's will need to find some more tomorrow if they hope to split the series. The Guardians have taken the first two contests. 

Through 100 games, the Orioles are 44-56.

Just before the start of tonight's game, the Orioles swapped infielder Luis Vázquez for outfielder Dylan Carlson, the former being optioned to Triple-A Norfolk with the latter taking his place. After the game, Mansolino said that outfielder Tyler O'Neill was unavailable for tonight's game with general soreness. The outfielder has appeared in nine games since returning from the injured list.